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readra's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3.5 stars rounded down, it had some good moments but most of it was fairly unremarkable. The setting of a broken family falling apart against a beautiful tropical paradise was a nice thematic contrast. I particularly enjoyed the sections about loss, grief, and acceptance.
suesinop's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderful book. The characters are very well developed, the story is compelling. I really enjoyed the author's style of writing. I'd very much recommend this book, even if you've already seen the movie.
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
4.0
I've had this one in my TBR stacks for ages and am glad that I finally picked it up. This was a moving story filled with tenderness, snarky humor, and realistic emotions. It could have easily been overwrought given the subject matter (the mother/wife is in a coma and the family is trying to come to terms with it), but I felt the author deftly balanced the plot with the emotions. The story is divided into four parts and gradually builds to the inevitable, realistic conclusion. The edition I read included an interview with the author and reading guide questions, which prompted me to think about the story after I read the final chapter.
I used this for two of the reading challenges I'm working on this year. For the 2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, I used it for "a book about a family." For the 2019 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge, I used if for "an #ownvoices book set in Oceania" (based on the NYPL Read Harder suggestion list). There was quite a bit of discussion in the BR group about what qualified for this particular prompt, so I may read a second book for it.
I used this for two of the reading challenges I'm working on this year. For the 2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, I used it for "a book about a family." For the 2019 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge, I used if for "an #ownvoices book set in Oceania" (based on the NYPL Read Harder suggestion list). There was quite a bit of discussion in the BR group about what qualified for this particular prompt, so I may read a second book for it.
traceyanneg's review against another edition
4.0
Having recently seen the movie, this book was a quick read for me. I was surprised by how closely the movie kept to the book, although there were a few elements left out of the movie. I agree with Trisha, that Hawaii was its own character. There was something really pleasing about how the setting so clashed with the overall theme. That's how life is. It was a beautiful day for my dad's funeral in April, and the setting was the opposite of my emotions. So, that part of the book rang really true for me. I'd recommend the book. It was strange because even though the theme was depressing, the characters were flawed and there was so much deception, I left this book feeing hopeful rather than sad.
k_thompson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dcliz's review
4.0
I read this book because I was looking for something to read, and it happened to be available as an eBook from my public library. Having already seen the movie, I really enjoyed the novel and look forward to future works from Hart Hemmings. It's fairly short, and as such, the movie was able to capture it very faithfully. As I was reading it, I could understand why it was made into a movie--the words paint a beautiful story set in a landscape that begs to be told on screen.
Recommend if you enjoyed the movie and want to get the fuller version that novels so often offer, or if you are looking for a short, well-crafted novel.
So, which was better, the novel or the movie? In this case, they both stand on their own.
Recommend if you enjoyed the movie and want to get the fuller version that novels so often offer, or if you are looking for a short, well-crafted novel.
So, which was better, the novel or the movie? In this case, they both stand on their own.
krobart's review against another edition
4.0
See my review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/day-533-the-descendants/
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/day-533-the-descendants/
justlily's review against another edition
1.0
Time for me to be utterly and completely candid, making no use whatsoever of my extensive vocabulary:
I fucking hate this book and I didn't finish it because it's shit.
Goodnight.
I fucking hate this book and I didn't finish it because it's shit.
Goodnight.
ericfheiman's review against another edition
3.0
I probably never would have picked this book up if it hadn't been assigned in my current writing class. So what a pleasant surprise to have liked it so much. Hemmings' real accomplishment here is juggling so well the balance of humor and pathos that surrounds the grief of losing a loved one. The book is mightily infused with a genuine humanity. I really came to love all the main characters, despite (because!) their obvious flaws and hangups—even the deceased Joanie, who, on paper, deserves very little of our sympathy whatsoever. But credit goes also to the story itself, which had so many opportunities to descend into cheap sentimentality and instead stayed tough, engaging, and true. The last scene reminded me a little of the end of Nanni Moretti's film, "The Son's Room"—a moving, reassuring, but completely genuine and unflinching expression of dealing with grief.
jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
Matt King is a moderately successful lawyer living in Hawaii. His family are long term residents, descended from Hawaiian royalty. When the book opens, his wife Joanie has been in a coma for four weeks after a boating accident. She is not going to wake up and the terms of her living will dictate that her life support should be switched off. By all accounts, Joanie was a pretty wild character who drank a lot, but Matt felt their marriage was comfortable, happy and stable. The couple have two daughters. Scottie is a very precocious 10 year old. Alex is older, rebellious and is now away at boarding school after being caught "experimenting" with drugs.
Over the course of the book, Matt has to come to terms with the fact that his wife isn't coming back and that he's now solely responsible for his daughters. He will also learn that his wife was betraying him - in more ways than one. The book is very much about the impact of these changes on him and his family and how they evolve over the course of a few days from a highly dysfunctional unit to one with the potential for a stable and possibly even happy future.
From the first page the book pulled me in. I haven't seen the film that is based on this novel, but it seems to me that George Clooney was perfectly cast, as Matt has the same wry, somewhat cynical, blackly humorous take on the world that Clooney often portrays in his movies. While the subject matter is bleak, the novel is engaging and some vignettes are genuinely funny. Be aware that it is a character driven story rather than plot driven - although the central act is absorbing, the end slows down again.
I also liked the way the food, music and smells of Hawaii were integrated into the book to give it a genuine sense of place.
Over the course of the book, Matt has to come to terms with the fact that his wife isn't coming back and that he's now solely responsible for his daughters. He will also learn that his wife was betraying him - in more ways than one. The book is very much about the impact of these changes on him and his family and how they evolve over the course of a few days from a highly dysfunctional unit to one with the potential for a stable and possibly even happy future.
From the first page the book pulled me in. I haven't seen the film that is based on this novel, but it seems to me that George Clooney was perfectly cast, as Matt has the same wry, somewhat cynical, blackly humorous take on the world that Clooney often portrays in his movies. While the subject matter is bleak, the novel is engaging and some vignettes are genuinely funny. Be aware that it is a character driven story rather than plot driven - although the central act is absorbing, the end slows down again.
I also liked the way the food, music and smells of Hawaii were integrated into the book to give it a genuine sense of place.